Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson apologised today for saying striking British public sector workers "should be shot".
The TV presenter host - who made his comments during BBC1's The One Show last night - said today he did not intend the remarks to be taken seriously.
His words had been widely condemned throughout the day by politicians and union leaders.
The BBC also offered an apology for the remarks and said the item "wasn't perfectly judged".
Clarkson appeared on the show yesterday as tens of thousands of state workers, including nurses, teachers and civil servants. were staging a 24-hour strike against government plans to make them pay more and work longer for their pensions.
"I'd have them all shot," the 51-year-old said.
"I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families," he added. "I mean how dare they go on strike when they have got these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?"
British prime minister David Cameron, who is a personal friend of Clarkson's, said on the ITV's Good Morning programme the comments were a "silly" thing to say. "I'm sure he didn't mean it," he added.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said he had not heard the comments but added that they were “absolutely disgraceful and disgusting”.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said Clarkson's comments on the One Show were "totally outrageous, and they cannot be tolerated". He said his union was seeking urgent legal advice about possible further action against Clarkson and the BBC, and whether or not the comments should be referred to the police.
"Jeremy Clarkson clearly needs a reminder of just who he is talking about when he calls for public sector workers to be shot in front of their families. Whilst he is driving round in fast cars for a living, public sector workers are busy
holding our society together - they save others' lives on a daily basis, they care for the sick, the vulnerable, the elderly," he said.
"They wipe bottoms, noses, they help children to learn, and empty bins. They deserve all our thanks - certainly not the unbelievable level of abuse he threw at them."
Unions estimated more than two million public sector workers in the UK went on strike over changes to their pensions yesterday, though polls showed not all Britons supported them. Critics of the strike say state pensions compare very favourably with those in the private sector and that public workers should share the pain of belt-tightening measures.
The BBC declined to comment on Unison's statement.
Clarkson is known for his outspokenness. He aroused public anger over comments about former prime minister Gordon Brown's partial blindness and over an article in which he said the Welsh language should be abolished.
In February, he was at the centre of a diplomatic row after making offensive remarks about Mexico, suggesting the country didn't have an Olympic team, "because anyone who can run jump or swim is already across the (US) border".
Agencies